A Chapala family got a lot more than they bargained for after booking a moonlight cruise on the Batur Lake Chapala tour boat to celebrate a birthday party among friends and relatives.
The group of 135 guests boarded the vessel at Piedra Barrenada outside San Juan Cosalá just before sunset on Saturday, November 19. The party was still going strong at 10:30 p.m. when the boat’s propeller malfunctioned as it was turning back to port. The passengers and crew found themselves stranded in Lake Chapala’s waters through the wee hours until a motor boat was engaged to tow them back to dry land.
Civil Protection units from Jocotepec, Chapala and the state and the local Harbormaster’s department were called in to assist in rescue efforts that concluded around 4:30 a.m. after all passengers were safely disembarked.
Guests reportedly remained cheerful throughout the lengthy misadventure, despite a few cases of nausea, minor hypothermia and nervous anxiety.